A week is a long time in football and Aston Villa proved that theory to be true as they recorded their third victory in eight days with a comfortable 2-0 win away to bottom of the league Rotherham United on Saturday.
Steve Bruce’s side had been on a terrible run of form, taking just one point out of 24 and had not won in the league since Boxing Day before beating Derby County at Villa Park last Saturday. The Villa followed that up with a 2-0 victory at home to Bristol City on Tuesday and confirmed their resurgence in form at the New York Stadium with an authoritative win.
The victory lifts Villa to 13th in the Championship table, effectively ridding the threat of relegation but heaps further misery on the Millers who have not won in nine league games and now sit 18 points from safety.
A delighted Bruce told the Birmingham Mail:
“It’s a difficult pitch bobbling around and of course Rotherham are fighting for their lives and when you encourage them by keep missing chances, you’re thinking is it going to be one of those awful ones. I mean that is one of our big problems, we are creating a number of chances and not taking them, so if there is something to be critical of then that critical stuff is important. We will get a team that is capable of mounting a challenge and that has to be the remit for us all. This club means something to them. The new lads are starting to show their ability. We needed to roll our sleeves up, do the basics which is of course keeping a clean sheet, defend as if you mean to and I thought in the last week or so, we have defended as we have meant to.”
Villa were lucky to stay level early on as star striker Jonathan Kodjia was in the right place at the right as he cleared Tom Adeymi’s header off the line, before at the other end, Albert Adomah’s fine lob was also cleared off the line.
However, Bruce’s team improved in the second half and were rewarded with their first goal in the 68th minute when a probing cross from Kodjia was inadvertently put into his own net by Will Vaulks. Villa wrapped up the three points courtesy of hitman Kodjia whose low strike in the 87th minute went in off the post.
Villa are next in action against Huddersfield on Tuesday.
